Leave Before You Can't
by V3LOC1TYBABE
Summary: Linda Hart, the only female employee soon finds out that her friend/boss, Jeremy Blaire, has been keeping secrets about the Morphogenic Engine from her. Her only option was to participate with the scientists to secretly document and expose the truth. When things do not go to her plan, the asylum falls apart and her plan is to escape with a man who doesn't completely trust her.
1. Chapter 1: First Day on the Job

**Hello! This is my first fanfiction I've ever written (and published) so I hope at least one of you enjoy.**

 **If you have questions, comments, or ideas, please message me. i'm all ears!**

 **Note: i do not own Outlast or the cover photo!**

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Linda Hart, a young woman in her mid-twenties ended up in a situation that wouldn't have happened if only she kept her mouth shut. She had dark brown hair, green eyes and a smile that could make the saddest person happy. She was an angel. Linda was the only female employee at Mount Massive Asylum. She did not have a uterus due to having ovarian cancer at age 19. It was removed and so the Engine never affected her like the other females. That wasn't the only reason she ended up at Mount Massive. Her former college friend, Jeremy Blaire, had encouraged her to join Mount Massive because she was an excellent psychologist. That was the only reason Linda knew. He told her that if she joined and worked with patients, they could regain their healthy mental state and reenter the world as a new citizen. This, of course, sparked her interests. Having no spouse or kids, she didn't have much to leave behind. Once she was convinced to join, she started her work immediately.

"So... This is Mount Massive?" Linda said, staring up at the large building, her long brown hair flowing slightly in the fall breeze. She had a few suitcases but nothing too big. They supported a room for her so she didn't need to pack anything that large.

"Yes, don't you like it?" Jeremy asked, dragging her largest suitcase behind her.

"It's beautiful," she said. Jeremy smiled.

"Wonderful. Let's take your things to your room, and I'll show you around. Sound good?" he said, walking.

Linda looked up at the asylum once more until she agreed to walk with him, carrying the rest of her suitcases. They walked through the front doors. Their greeting was like no other.

"Good morning Mr. Bla-" said the security officer behind the front desk. His greeting was stopped when he saw Linda. He looked back at Jeremy, clearly confused. He just looked back and smiled.

"I'd like to get Dr. Linda Hart's badge please," Jeremy said.

"Oh, uhh. You never mentioned there would be another member joining us today," said the security guard. Jeremy's smile disappears and looks at him angrily. This made the man panic and type a few things on his computer. While Linda patiently waits, she notices the offices on both sides of the room behind some glass walls. She notices almost every employee is staring at her, all huddled up in one spot and mumbling to each other. She also notices there aren't any women. This made her concerned. After the short delay, Linda had her badge and they were walking to her room. They walked inside and Jeremy set her luggage on her bed. He didn't give Linda much time to look at her room and he was already outside waiting for her to join him to give her a tour. She rushes out her room, shutting the door behind her. Jeremy gives her the keys.

"Do not lose your keys. They open almost every gate and cell. We have a very tight system and we can't afford diversions," he says before handing her the keys.

"Of course, I won't lose them," she smiles, earning a smile from him in return. They begin to walk.

"This whole section is for staff only. Their rooms and offices," he said, pointing to the rooms.

"Where are the patients?" Linda asked.

"They're all in different sections of the asylum, but I won't be able to introduce you to all of them.

There are far too many and some aren't so friendly," Jeremy said, walking to the elevator and opening it, gesturing for her to go in. They both walk in and he turns the key to use the elevator and it starts moving up slowly.

"I apologize for the elevator. It's quite old. You could use the stairs if you'd like to while you work here," he says.

"Oh, it's fine. I don't mind," she smiles.

"I forgot to mention that you're not allowed to go downstairs to the basement. Your level of expertise is not needed there," he assures her.

"What's downst-"

"Don't worry about it," he says, with a firm voice.

After a minute of silence, the elevator stopped and opened, they walked through the halls, passing separate offices, seeing a few more employees. They stared at Linda as they walked by which made her a little uncomfortable. They were all men. Linda didn't see one woman which made her suspicions grow more. They find her office where she'd be doing most of her work in. There was a large leather seat, next to a lounge chair where the patient would be. There was a small desk in the corner and a few bookshelves to keep her busy if there wasn't an appointment. Which would be highly unlikely because there were many patients for her to look at. After looking at her new office, Jeremy takes her to his. There was a large desk sitting in the middle of the room with two small chairs on the other side. He sits at his desk.

"Please, sit," he said, motioning her to sit in one of the chairs. She takes a seat and crosses her legs.

"So how do you like Mount Massive so far?" he asked. She thought for a moment and smiled.

"I feel like I'd be able to make a difference her. I enjoy it a lot," she says, making Jeremy smile.

"You're very special, Linda. I hope you feel like you're important here because you are. This'll help Mount Massive in a great amount," he said.

"Of course."

"I think it's time you should meet a few of our favorite patients," he said, growing a smile.

They leave his office and travel through the halls, finding a large gated doorway.

"You can use your keys for this," he takes her keys and points to a large silver one. "This one opens the gates."

She takes the keys from his hand and inserts the key into the gate. It unlocks and opens with a loud creak. They walk through and close it. The temperature dropped quickly and Linda began to shiver. Jeremy just laughed.

"You'll get used to it when you come in here."

"Do the patients have to deal with this?" she asked.

"Well, yes but they don't mind it," he said as they come across another gate.

"This is the male ward," Jeremy tells her.

Linda opens it and walks through before Jeremy. She sees a few cells. Below, are another set of cells but those ones were just a large solid door with a small glass window. Not even large enough to stick your head through. The cells were dirty and rusty. Linda hesitates to walk forward until Jeremy nudges her to continue. They pass a few cells and at that moment, that's all Linda wanted to see. She slowed down, letting Jeremy walk past her. Patients were crouched in a corner hugging their knees and shaking, hitting their head against the wall, or just staring at them as they walked by. Their attention was mostly on Jeremy. Some patients stood to the far end of the cell in hopes of being as far away from Jeremy as possible. Linda felt terrible for them. They seemed to be treated horribly. Scars decorated their bodies like tattoos. Some were missing hands or feet. Linda couldn't look anymore. They passed another cell, a man with small patches of hair, glasses, and barely any clothing covering him was sitting in the corner with his arms resting on his knees. Jeremy looks over and they make eye contact and he stops, Linda bumped into him because she was unaware that he stopped suddenly.

"Blaire," said the patient with an unsatisfied tone to his voice.

"Trager," Jeremy replies, eyeing him down.

"Who is this? Your girlfriend?" Trager laughs.

"She's just a friend. She's working here now," Jeremy says through gritted teeth.

Trager stands up and walks to the front of his cell. He wraps his fingers around the bars staring at her.

"She's pretty. Seems too delicate though. She won't last a day here," he scowls.

"Well she'll last longer than you will," Jeremy said while making a fist.

"Not with the effects of the Engine. We both know what happens to women when they're exposed to the engine for too long," Trager smiles.

"It won't affect her. I know it won't. She's much different," he says. Linda just cowers behind Jeremy with her eyes not leaving Trager.

Trager couldn't help but laugh. It was a rough wicked laugh. "Oh, that little tramp doesn't know a thing about this place, does she?"

At this point, Linda was utterly confused and somewhat offended. This man made no sense and he barely knows her enough to make assumptions. But standing behind Jeremy wasn't helping. Maybe there were a few secrets that Jeremy was hiding from her. Jeremy just stood there angrily. If there were no bars separating them, he just might attack Trager. He suddenly became calm and pulled out the walkie talkie out of his back pocket and spoke into it.

"Will someone please take Mr. Trager to the Engine? I believe he needs to spend some time there, over,"

"On it, Mr. Blaire," said a man's voice in the talkie. Trager smiles and laughs hysterically. Moments later, three security guards come in the Male Ward. They open Trager's cell door and take him. Trager only continues laughing like a mad man as they drag him away. Linda wanted to say things to him, but she didn't realize she was being silent the entire time. As they watched Trager being dragged away, Jeremy and Linda hesitantly went on with the tour. They walked by another cell where a patient is leaning against the cell gate, hanging on to the bars. He had no wounds, scars, or missing limbs. He was untouched like he hasn't been here for long. He had sleek black hair that was completely gone on the sides. He had icy blue eyes that pierced through Lindas as he looked at her. He towered over her. He was at least 6'5 and she was only 5'6. He was also very large in muscle. He looked down at her and smiled. It wasn't a creepy smile or a threatening smile. More of a kind gesture and Linda definitely saw it.

"Hello," said the patient.

"Uh, hi," she replied, giving her best smile.

The patient paused for a moment, staring at her.

"My, you have a lovely smile," he said.

"You're too kind," she said back.

"My name is Eddie. Eddie Gluskin. And you are?" he asked, wondering what her name was.

"I'm Linda. Dr. Linda Hart. I'm the new psychologist here. We'll be having therapy sessions to help you out," she smiled again.

"Wonderful. I can't wait," he smiled back. Jeremy got annoyed and kicked the gate, causing them both to look at him.

He cleared his throat. "It's time to go, Linda," he said, glancing at Eddie.

"Of course. Well, it was nice to meet you. I'm looking forward to our appointment," she smiled, walking to Jeremy.

"Me too," Eddie said, glaring at Jeremy with a bit of annoyance in his tone.

Eddie watched them walk away till they were no longer in his sight.

"Soon, you'll be mine. Soon," he tells himself.

Linda felt a little more confidence in this place. But whatever Tager said made her feel like she didn't belong either. They were on the bottom floor with the padded rooms and solid doors. Linda looked through one of the small windows. Right when she looked in, a large man runs at her, smashing into the door. Linda stumbled back and screamed. Jeremy just laughed and helped her up.

"Who the heck is that!?" she shouts.

"That is Chris Walker. He doesn't talk much and he has a bit of a temper. We have to keep a straitjacket on him at all times or he might attack the staff," he replies, still smiling.

Linda walks back to the window and looks through again to get a better look at him. He was completely bald, fat and missing his top lip. He was glaring at her and breathing heavily like he'd been doing this for a while.

"Did he do that to himself?" she asked

"Yes. He enjoys inflicting pain on himself. Quite odd, actually," he said, looking through the window.

"Okay. I believe my limit in the male ward has almost been reached. I'm ready to leave," she said.

"Haha, alright. I'll take you back to your room,"

"Wait, what about the rest of the tour?" Linda asks, following behind him. He looks down at his watch.

"Well, I'm afraid we've run out of time. I guess you could wander the asylum as long as you don't go downstairs. Your work starts tomorrow so get rest tonight."

"Alright. Where is the female ward?" she asked. Jeremy paused not wanting to answer.

"There, uh. There is no female ward," he said, not looking at her. "Not anymore."

"What? What do you mean 'not anymore'?"

"We- We thought this place wasn't suited for female patients. As well as female employees."

"There aren't _any_ females here?"

"...Yes."

Linda couldn't help but stop in the middle of the hallway. Jeremy stops and looks back at her. "It would be best if there weren't many females."

"Then why am I here?" she asked in a serious tone."

"You're different, Linda. Very special," he assured her.

"I have a feeling that doesn't really mean a good thing," she says, folding her arms and looking away.

"It is a good thing. Most women get sick. They can't tolerate this place. But you're very strong. Please don't walk out on this. Mount Massive needs you," he said, turning her face to look at his. "At least give it a chance. Give _me_ a chance."

After a moment of thinking, Linda nods in agreement and they continue to her room. Linda tells Jeremy goodbye and he leaves, leaving her in her room. Linda plops down on her bed and sighs. She looks up to get a better look at her room. There was a small chair, overhanging bookshelves, a plant in the window seal, a small bathroom with a tub, a television and a nightstand next to Linda's small bed. On the nightstand was a picture frame. In it, was a picture of Linda and Jeremy graduating college. He had his arm over her shoulder and they were smiling. Linda laughed a little. 'Jeremy must've put that there before I arrived,' she thought. She picked up the picture to hold it. The moments of Trager playing through her head. Her stomach tied in knots and she started to feel uneasy. What if she didn't belong there? How could she handle working with patients? Was Trager right? All of these questions fills her mind and more which made her stomach feel uneasy until she drifted to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2: Second Thoughts

Linda wakes up and stares at the dimly lit curtain. It was still pretty early. The thought of the moment with Trager instantly came to her mind. After she couldn't fall asleep, she decided to get up and wander the halls for a while to try and feel better about the place and to get her mind off of Trager. Linda got dressed and walked out the door. She wandered through the halls. She had a paper in her hand with a map of the asylum. Her eyes were glued to the map and she didn't realize she was the only one in the hallway. She wanted to go to the female ward. She entered the elevator and it slowly rises up.

"Okay… I have to go through the male ward, the vocational block, and the administration block in order to get there" she said.

The elevator stops and she walks out and looks up to see where she is. But her stomach sinks when she sees that no one was there. She walked around the halls to look for people but the only thing she achieved in finding were blood splatters everywhere like someone was painting the walls a bright red color. There were no bodies. Linda started to grow terrified. She needed to find someone but no one was in the staff building. She reaches the first gate of the male ward that was slightly opened. She pushes it the rest of the way, earning a loud creak. After passing through the second gate that was also open, Linda sees that all of the cells empty. She then starts to look through all of the cells to find any patients. Seeing none, she chooses to go back to find Jeremy to find out what happened. After passing through the gates again, she walks through the bloody halls. This time, there _were_ bodies. All scattered everywhere and littered the halls. Some were staff, some were patients. Their eyes rotted out and there were black holes and their skin was decomposing. Dried blood covered their faces and bodies. It seemed like they were there for a while but the blood on the walls was fresh. But Linda was more terrified than concerned about it. She quickens her pace to find Jeremy, stepping in the puddles of blood. She stops suddenly when a sharp pain hits her skull with a loud high-pitched sound filling her ears. Her vision blurs as images flash across her eyes. She drops to the ground on her knees screaming while holding her head in pain. She closes her eyes to try to make the visions go away. Once it stops, Linda stays on the floor, holding her head with her eyes shut tight thinking it'll come back.

"What the heck was that?" she asked herself, breathing heavily.

Once she opens her eyes and lifts her head, all of the bodies and blood were gone. It all vanished like they were never there. However, no one was in the building still. It was just her, curled up against the wall in the middle of the hallway. She gets up and rushes to Jeremy's office, with little hope that he'd be there. She finds his office and bursts through the door, slamming it behind her. The room was dark and only being lit by the small ray of sunlight shining through the window behind Jeremy's desk

"Jeremy! Something's wrong with the asylum! Everyone's gone and I think they're all dead!" she shouts. After not being answered, Linda noticed that Jeremy's large chair was facing away from her with Jeremy's head showing on top. She rushes over there to speak to him again.

"Jeremy, what's going on? Where is everyone?" she asks, still not getting anything from him.

She gets angry and walks around the desk to look at him. She turns his chair and immediately falls back onto the floor. Jeremy was dead. His eyes were gone and his skin was rotting like the rest of the bodies she saw. She stumbles back till her back touches the nearest wall as tears form in her eyes. A sudden flash of light fills the room and disappears, having the room completely dark for only a second followed by the sound of Trager's wicked laugh. Where Jeremy's body once was, is now gone. Linda then runs out of his office as the sounds of Trager's laugh following her.

"Get away from me!" she shouts back as tears pour from her eyes while she runs to her office.

Once she gets there, she slams the door behind her and locks it and Trager's laugh instantly disappears. She presses her forehead against the door and lets out a deep sigh.

"What's wrong with this place?" she tells herself.

She turns around and her heart almost stopped completely. This wasn't her office at all. It was just a small room with no windows and a single light hanging from the ceiling that was barely lighting the room. Under the light, was a tall silhouette of a man. His sleek black hair slightly shining in the light. He turns around to face her, revealing a table with mutilated body parts of women lying there. His body was covered in blood and he held a bone saw. His face was total darkness but all you could see was two bright eyes and a large grin plastered on his face. It was Eddie. Many things raced through Linda's mind when she looked at him. He walked to her with the smile still on his face.

"I want you to love me!" he says almost shouting. His voice was rough and not as smooth as she remembered.

She covers her face with her arms and closes her eyes and screams, fearing she'll die. After nothing happens, Linda opens her eyes to see why Eddie hasn't attacked her. But all she saw was the ceiling in her room. She was laying on her bed. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead and she was breathing heavily. She lowers her arms to her sides and stared at the ceiling for a moment.

"A dream? No, more like a nightmare," she thought. "How could that have happened? I've been here one day and I'm already dreading this place?"

She gets up and looks at the time.

"Wow, I'm already late for the first day on the job."

She finds the picture of her and Jeremy still lying on the bed next to her. She picks it up to look at it once more before putting it back on the nightstand. She gets dressed and puts on her lab coat. She puts her hair into a messy bun and rushes out of the door. Relieved that she sees her fellow staff members, she calms down and heads to Jeremy's office. She knocks on the door while her heart is frozen.

"Yes? Come in," he answered from the other side of the door. A wave of relief washes over her and she opens the door to see Jeremy going through some files. He looks up for a second, without even smiling.

"You're forty-five minutes late, Linda," he says, no taking his eyes off his work.

"Yes, I know. I didn't get a good enough sleep last night," she explained while walking towards his desk. "I'll work a little over my shift to make up for the lost time."

"There's no need for that. I was going to use the first hour of your shift to walk you around the asylum more but I'm afraid we missed that opportunity," he assures her. "I'll only give you a warning but from now on I can't have you be late anymore. Like I said yesterday, this is a very tight system."

"Of course. I won't make that mistake again," she said.

"Good. Now head to your office to begin," he said, motioning for her to leave.

"But who do I start with first?" she asked, before leaving.

"That's up to you. Decide who you want to start with, I don't care. But I really need you to leave now, I'm very busy," he said, annoyed. He hands her a file with a list of all of the patients. She takes it and walks to the door to exit. Once she walks out, she's greeted by two security guards.

"Hello. You must be Dr. Hart," said one of the guards.

"Yes, I am. How can I help you?" she asked.

"Well, we're actually here to help you with the patients you'll be seeing today," said the second security guard. "We'll make sure none of them try to hurt you."

"Oh, I see. Thank you," she smiles.

"Let's get started," said the second officer. She walks forward down the halls with the officers following behind her staying silent. She reaches the first gate and unlocks it, letting the officers go in first. One of the officers open the second gate to the male ward and they walk through. All of the patients were still in their cells which made Linda feel a little more at ease. She wanted to start with the sanest patient there. Even though Eddie appeared pretty sane, she was afraid to confront him after the nightmare she had about him. After looking through the files, Linda finds a file under William B. Hope.

 **Case Number: 207**

Patient: William B. Hope

Consultation Dated: 2012.08.22

Initial Date of Patient Consult: 2012.03.12

Mental Disorders: None

Patient Age: 23

Gender: Male

Observing Psychologist: Dr. Linda Hart

Reason at Mount Massive: Sold by mother to Murkoff

NOTES: Seems mentally stable enough to begin tests soon

 **Linda didn't know what they meant by "tests" so she asked the guards.**

"Umm, what does this file mean about 'tests'?" she asked, showing the guards the file. They paused for a moment and looked at each other. The first guard clears his throat.

"We uh- Those are for when we believe the patient is mentally stable enough to begin certain tests in order to decide whether let them go or not. It's just a small process," he said.

"Oh, I see. Well, then I'd like to begin those tests myself. Is that all right?" she asked while approaching William's cell. The two guards looked at each other again a bit nervously. The first one nods and they both face her.

"We'll have to discuss that with Mr. Blaire," said the first officer.

"We don't think it's your job to do so anyway," said the second officer.

Linda just turned away a little bit disappointedly as they reached his cell. He was sitting on his bed with his head against the wall, looking at the cell gate. They approached his cell and Linda stood in the middle with each officer on one side of her.

"Hello. Are you William Hope?" she asked, looking through the cell bars.

"Yes, I am. Are you here to test on me?" he asked a little frightened. She looked at one of the guards who looked back at her with a glare.

"... No," she said looking back at him. "I'm just a psychologist. I'm only going to be asking you a few questions and to check on how your feeling. Is that okay with you?"

William sat there for a couple of seconds until he finally answered.

"I guess so. Where are we going?" he asked, not moving.

"Just to my office."

"Will they be there?" he asked, gesturing to the officers standing beside her.

"Yes, they will be. But they won't do anything. They'll only be there to make sure bad things don't happen."

William hesitantly got up and walked to the cell door, waiting for them to open it. Once he walked out, Linda continued to walk back to her office with William behind her and the officers behind him. No one spoke the whole way there. As they walk through the halls, a few staff members stare at them as they walk by. Linda just ignored them because she was used to it, but it made William feel uneasy and nervous. He's never been around this many sane people and he was mostly afraid of them. Linda didn't notice he was fidgeting because she was too busy walking in front of him and looking through the files. When they arrived at her office, she let William go in first with the officers following. She walked in and closed the door and sat in her large chair.

"Please, sit," she asked, pointing to the lounge chair. William didn't move and inch and just looked at the chair and back at the officers.

"Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen to you. I promise," she smiled. This made him ease up a little bit and hesitantly sat in the chair. The two officers stood behind him, folding their arms like they were his bodyguards and never spoke.

"Your name is William Hope, correct?" she asked.

"Yes, but please just call me Billy. I prefer to be called that," he answered.

"Okay, Billy. I'm just going to ask you a few questions and then you can go back to your cell, okay?"

"... Okay."

She flips through a few pages of Billy's file while coming up with her questions.

"Have you ever been to a psychologist before?" she asked, clicking her pen.

"Um, no," he said. Linda was interested in his answer. It's a wonder how a man in an asylum has never been to a psychologist. She wrote a few things in her notebook and thought of another question.

"Overall, how would you describe your mood?" she asked. Billy just sat there, frozen. He looked back at the officers who didn't move at all. He looked back at her.

"I'd say that I'm terrified," he said, earning one of the officers to clear his throat loudly like he was trying to make Billy not talk anymore. He froze again, not wanting to talk more. Linda ignored the officers and allowed Billy to continue.

"Why are you terrified?" she asked, concerned. Billy didn't know what to do. He didn't know if he should answer or not. "It's okay, Billy. I know this is hard. I won't let them do anything to you, okay? Feel free to say whatever you'd like."

"I'm terrified because- because I think I might die here," he said, looking at the ground. Linda just sat there not knowing what to say. She didn't quite understand him.

"Why would you think that?" she asked, as she fiddled with her pen. Billy hesitated once more and answered nervously.

"They say I'm sick and I'm not going to get better. That I might have to stay here for a while. I don't belong here!" he slightly raises his voice. "My mother sold me to this damn place! There might have been something about me that she didn't love, but I know I don't deserve to be here! Everyone in this place is-"

"Okay! That's enough. Time's up!" said one of the guards as they both grab Billy on the shoulders to take him back to his cell.

"But we just started! We aren't close to being done!" Linda shouts after them. She gets up to stop them but the second officer stops her by raising his hand.

"Don't make us call Blaire," he said while dragging Billy out of the office. Once they left, Linda sat in her chair to process what just happened. She took a few notes in her notebook and suddenly realized something. The officers said that Billy was mentally stable enough to consider letting him go. But Billy said that they told him he wasn't able to leave anytime soon. Did they lie to Linda or to Billy? Linda was looking through the other patient files when she heard a knock at her door.

"Oh, uhh. Come in," she says, closing her folder. The door opened and Jeremy walked through.

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" he asked, walking to her with a not so worried look on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. He wasn't that aggressive," she assured him.

"That's good. How did it go?"

"It was going well until they took him. I could've handled it myself," she rolls her eyes and looks back at the files.

"I know you could've, but patients here are unpredictable. You could never know when they'd attack," he says, sitting in the large lounge chair.

"He didn't seem that dangerous in the first place, though!" she shouts.

"Linda! You're not getting this! Not every patient in this place is innocent! You can't expect good in everyone!" he shouts back.

"That's not what I'm thinking! Why is Billy even here? His file said that he was sold by his mother to this place! There isn't anything wrong with him," she says. Jeremy pauses, thinking about what to say.

"... You're right. There isn't anything wrong with him, but he was sold to us and he's our property."

"He's no one's property though. Don't think of him as a slave of some sort."

"You know that's not what I meant. There's no place for him to go at the moment. No one would take him after seeing he has a record of being in an asylum. Yes, the officers took him but that's their job. They were trying to protect you. You can't yell at me for something they were supposed to do,' he says, calmly. Linda thought for a moment.

She sighs. "You're right. I overreacted."

"I hope you understand about this," he said.

"I do. I'm sorry."

Jeremy didn't say anything and just nodded. He walked to the door and looks back at her before leaving.

"We'll see what we can do about Billy, okay?" he said. He left before Linda could answer and shuts the door, leaving her in her office. Linda just sat at her desk with many thoughts running through her mind. She opened the folder containing the patient files and found Billy's.

"This is going to be a lot harder than I thought," she told herself.


	3. Chapter 3: Third Time's the Charm

**Here's the third chapter! I apologize for the SUPER long wait. Lots of things have happened and hopefully, I will post more chapters sooner. Thank you for being patient! I'm so glad I finally finished it! Thank you for all the views! :D**

 **NOTE: I DO NOT OWN OUTLAST OR THE PICTURE!**

* * *

Linda wakes up earlier this time. She sits up almost instantly and looks around her room. Her room seemed pretty normal. She got up and opened her door slightly and peeked through. Seeing staff members, she calms down.

"Good, I'm not dreaming," she tells herself.

Linda takes a shower and does her hair and makeup, leaving her long brown hair down. She grabs the file and sat on her bed to look for a new patient. Linda saw Chris Walker's file. She thought for a moment and then realized how dangerous he may be. She flips through more pages and finds Richard Trager's file.

"I should probably get him over with for now while our relationship is still somewhat sane," she tells herself.

Linda didn't want the officers interfering with her appointment so she decided to go straight to Trager's cell. She leaves and walks out of her room, holding the file and her keys. She receives glares and a few "hellos". She exchanges most of them with her bright smile and continues to the Male Ward. Passing through the first gate, she grabs a pair of handcuffs to make sure Trager doesn't attack her. She passes through the second gate and travels past the cells.

"Is it my turn now?" said a charming voice next to her in one of the cells. Linda had forgotten about Eddie.

"Not today. Tomorrow most likely," she answers, looking up at him and giving him a small smile. He smiles back and they exchange their short goodbyes. When Linda arrives at Trager's cell, her welcome wasn't surprising.

"The tramp returns!" Trager says in a cheery tone.

"Hello, Trager. I'm here to take you to my office. We're starting your therapy session today," she says, glaring at him with a calm voice. Trager ignores her and stares at her slight cleavage. She grows impatient and covers her chest with her long white lab coat.

Trager chuckles. "You're no fun."

"I'm not here to play your childish and perverted games. So please just come with me. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish. Okay?" she says.

"Oh, alright. Since you asked nicely," he groaned, getting up from his bed. She opens the door and she pulls out the handcuffs from her back pocket.

"Are you serious? Do you even know how to use those appropriately?" he jokes. Linda just glares at him, holding the handcuffs. He lets out an annoyed sigh and holds his wrists out in front of him. She clasps them on and gestures for him to proceed forward.

"Look at you, Officer Tramp," he laughs.

"I'd prefer you to not call me that," she says, opening the gate.

"Yes, I know. But Linda just seems too plain and boring," he replies, walking through the gate.

"Call me Dr. Hart then."

Trager just laughs. "No thanks. I'll just stick with Tramp."

Linda rolls her eyes, finding this argument completely useless. They passed through the second gate and Linda proceeds to her office with Trager in front of her so she could keep an eye on him. As they passed through the halls to the elevator, Linda notices some employees were staring at them and whispering to each other. Linda found it very annoying but Trager paid no mind to it. He kind of enjoyed the attention he was getting.

They arrived at the elevator and stepped inside. The elevator started moving slowly and Trager laughs.

"This elevator is slower than before. You really need to get this fixed," he said.

"I'll put that on my to-do list," she says sarcastically. The elevator finally reaches the second floor and Trager steps out first with Linda following behind him. After passing through a few offices and and some unhappy employees, they reach her office.

"Right in here," Linda says, unlocking the door and opening it for him to walk inside. Trager walks inside, giving her an evil smile and winking at her. She rolls her eyes again and doesn't exchange a smile back. Trager annoyed Linda in ways she never thought she could be annoyed but she somehow doesn't lose her temper with him.

"Aren't you gonna remove these?" Trager asks, lifting his arms gesturing to the handcuffs.

"Not a chance. Who knows what you'd do," she answers.

"Oh please, it's not like I'm gonna kill you. It's far too much of a risk."

Linda hesitates for a moment, not wanting to trust him. But he's right. If he did kill her, he'd be dead in minutes after security hears the commotion. She knew he'd be too smart to do that. Without saying a word, she pulls the key from her pocket and uncuffs him. He rubs his wrists for a second and sits in Linda's chair.

"Quite comfortable," he smiles.

"That's my seat, Trager. Yours is over there," she says, pointing to the large lounge chair. Trager looked over there for a second and then turned to her.

"No thanks. I'm fine right here," he smiles. Linda just lets out a large sigh.

"Alright, fine," she says angrily before he sits in the lounge chair. She opens her files and scans through them, looking at Trager's file again.

Case Number: 185

Patient: Richard Trager

Consultation Dated: 2012.03.12

Initial Date of Patient Consult: 2012.01.05

Mental Disorders: None

Patient Age: 62

Gender: Male

Observing Psychologist: Dr. Linda Hart

Reason at Mount Massive: Murdered female coworker while working at Mount Massive

NOTES: Must be observed at all times. Also extremely manipulative.

Linda looked at the file once more. She couldn't believe the reason he was here, sitting in front of her. She looks up at him, and he smiles back.

"Yes, it's true. I murdered her," he says, breaking the silence. "She deserved to die. She was a lying bitch, that one."

Linda just glares at him, not wanting to speak while knowing she has to. Trager was indeed, manipulative. He spoke softly in a calm manner like he thought what he did was right. She clears her throat.

"Let's begin,' she says. "Have you ever been to a psychologist before?"

"Seriously? You're gonna start with that?" he asks, slightly annoyed.

"Just answer the question, Trager," she said, growing impatient.

He let out a deep sigh. "No, I have not," he said. "You're my first," he smiles.

She rolls her eyes. She was growing really tired of his smart remarks but she continued anyway.

"Overall, how would you describe your mood?" she asked.

"I'd say I'm pretty happy," he replied. Linda hesitated for a moment. Did he really just say that?

"Why is that?"

"I know everything about this place and what people do here because I was part of it. I'm the only one who knows how to surpass the engine. No matter what they try, they will never break me," he says, slightly chuckling. Linda looked at him with her eyes narrowed like she couldn't understand anything he said. Trager then noticed her silence.

"Oh, that's right. You don't know anything about this place," he said. "Well, whatever they told you, is all a lie." Linda just stared at him, not knowing what to say.

"They might have told you this place is all that. They say they're helping us, patients, helping them get better," he continued. "Nope, they're using them. Nobody claims them so they're stuck here. Murkoff can do whatever they please."

"You're lying, Trager. I was asked to be here to help these patients including you," Linda says calmly, but showing a hint of fear in her tone.

"You really think that's why you're here, sweetheart?" he smiles. "This place isn't something that gives patients another chance at life. More like the complete opposite. If a patient ends up here, they might as well be dead already." Linda stands up and stares Trager down with fury in her eyes.

"How could you say that about these people? They're human beings and they don't deserve the disrespect you're giving!" she shouts.

"You think I'm joking?!" Trager shouts back, standing on his feet. "I have worked at this place for years! They're using these patients just like they're using you! You mean nothing to this place and you mean nothing to Jeremy!"

Linda pauses for a moment, staring at Trager. The anger was almost completely gone. "You're wrong, Trager," she says. "You've lost your mind."

Without hesitation, Trager reaches his hands out and grabs Linda's throat. The momentum makes her stumble back and into the lounge chair. She stares up a Trager whose right hand is gripped firmly on her throat while his left is supporting himself on the backrest next to her head. All Linda could do is look up at him in fear. She could not scream with Trager's hand being too strong, stopping her screams from passing through.

"You're afraid to admit it. You know there's something wrong with this place but you believe that hiding underneath Jeremy will protect you," he says with his soft and calm voice. He inches his face to the side of hers and whispers. "Jeremy is using you." Trager then starts chuckling which then turns into a wicked laugh. Three security officers burst through the door. Trager instantly lets go of Linda's throat. She gasps for air and coughs slightly. Trager raises his hands, surrendering.

"Hello, officers. Care to join our therapy session?" he asks. Without hesitation, the guards force Trager away from Linda. He fights back but one of the guards pulls out his taser and shoots Trager. The darts go into his chest and he falls to his knees. He passes out and the officers take him away back to the male ward. Linda sits there in panic after helplessly watching. After the officers leave, Jeremy rushes inside.

"What happened?" he asked, slightly angry.

"He attacked me, of course," she replied annoyed because he didn't ask if she was okay.

"How did this happen?" he asked, sitting in the large chair.

"It started off well until he lunged."

"Why didn't the guards help?"

Linda paused. "I didn't have any guards with us."

"What?" Jeremy asked in disbelief.

"My last session went terribly because your officers took him away before I could even understand him!" she exclaims

"That doesn't matter! They are there for a reason to make sure you don't get hurt! Why would you think that would be a good idea?" he shouts.

"I had it under control. We were communicating perfectly well!" she shouts back.

"What did he tell you?" he asked a bit more calm.

"He told me that this place isn't what it seems to be. I didn't believe him of course."

"He didn't mention anything else? Nothing at all?"

"No"

Jeremy sat there for a moment, thinking. Linda was still a bit paralyzed by the adrenaline of fear to wonder what was going through Jeremy's mind. He gets up and walks to the door

"Wait, where are you going?" Linda shouts after him.

"I'm going back to work. You should get some rest and resume tomorrow. Have a good day Dr. Hart." he closes the door behind him, leaving Linda alone in her office, trying to process everything that happened.

"Trager is wrong. He's just crazy," she tells herself. "Is he?" She sits back on the lounge chair and holds her head in her hands, thinking of ways to prove that he was lying. But she couldn't think of any. He did work there for a long time alongside Jeremy for years before he became a patient, so of course, he does know more about this place than she does.

After a few minutes of trying to come up with ways that Tager was lying, she finally believed that he was just trying to scare her. Possibly to get revenge for something he did to him without realizing she did it. It was the only logical thing she could think of. Linda stands up and cleans up the mess Trager made and straightens up the chairs. She sits at her desk with the files sitting there in front of her. She exhales deeply and opens up the files. She reads through all of them briefly, not even believing half of the things she's read.

"Burning down a farmhouse with 12 people trapped inside and burned to death," she read out loud. She looked through the rest of the files to study every patient and to mentally prepare herself. The ones she was mostly concerned about three specific patients. Chris Walker, Eddie Gluskin, and Richard Trager who she despised so much.

After hours and hours of reading and researching, it was late at night. Linda could barely keep her eyes open. Once she slowly drifted to sleep at her desk, her office door slowly opens to reveal Jeremy Blaire. He silently walked over to Linda's desk where she was sound asleep. He looked down at her, his body and face being lit up by her desk lamp which was the only light in the room. He leaned forward and brushed her hair behind her ear and stares at her for a few seconds without any expression on his face. He puts his hand on her shoulder and slightly shakes her.

"Linda?" he asked, trying to wake her up. "Linda, you should go to your room. You've been here all day."

"Hmm?" Linda said.

"You need to go to your room. Come on, I'll help you," he said, trying to lift her up.

"No, I'm fine," she said with her tired voice. Linda wouldn't stand on her feet, due to being extremely tired and not wanting to walk all the way down stairs.

"Alright, we'll do this the hard way," Jeremy said. He scooped her up from the chair and carried her bridal style. She rested her head on his shoulder. He left her office while carrying her. He received glances from a few employees. There were barely any at all because it was so late at night. Some whispered to each other but never spoke to him, even though they were all confused as to why he was carrying the passed out Linda. He stepped into the elevator and it started moving, which woke Linda up.

"What are you doing?" she asked, barely keeping her eyes open.

"I'm taking you to your room. You couldn't even walk," he answered, not even looking down at her.

"You should've let me sleep in my office. I was fine there," she said.

"Of course not. I need you well rested for tomorrow. It's best to sleep on a bed." Before she could argue more, she drifted back to sleep and they arrived at their floor. He stepped out and walked to her room. Once he unlocked and opened her door without dropping her, he set her on her bed. He looked at her once more before leaving her room.


End file.
